He even has a personal pollster – Deborah Mattinson – who must now dread telling him the bad news. After Mattinson told him he would lose the marginals, he bottled having an election. When he told the press pack that they weren’t a factor they were incredulous. When he told Cameron the same at PMQs the Tory benches fell about laughing. He is like most politicians, poll obsessed.

Facts :

Labour is polling at levels not seen since the nadir of Blair.

The News of the Worldtomorrow will report that on “economic competence”, Labour has finally lost the positive poll differential it has enjoyed over the Tories ever since the 1992 ERM debacle.

The Mail on Sunday has a poll rating Brown as less competent than John Major and Darling as less competent than Lamont.

If Blair were leading Labour they would be neck and neck with the Tories instead of 5% behind according to the same BPIX poll.

Maybe it would be better for his state-of-mind if he doesn’t look at the papers tomorrow…